A New Book Just In Time For Eliot

As Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer prepares to take office and enact his reform agenda, there’s a new book out that may serve as a handy reference guide for him and his team.

“New York State Government: Second Edition,” has just been released by the Rockefeller Institute, which is the State University of New York’sÂ think tank on all matters governmental.

The book, which runs more than 500 pages, offers detailed explanations of how the state’s government and bureaucracy works. It also outlinesÂ some of the major issues facing the Empire State, such asÂ the decline of the upstate economy, public debt and the absurd number of local government entities — they count 3,166 units.

Written by Robert Ward, director of research for the state Business Council’s Public Policy Institute, the book also delves into Spitzer’s battle cry with a section dubbed: ”Reform: Is This The Time?”

While Ward, a former reporter and editor, is as hard-bitten as anyone who has observed Albany at work for a while, he’s not totally cynical or pessimistic when it comes to the odds that a new governor can make big reforms.

During a press conference last week,Â WardÂ remarked on some of the vast strides made over the years in areas such as pollution control and the way society cares for the disabled or others who can’t care for themselves.

Ward even has a chapter on how real people (as opposed to lobbyists and big money campaign dontributors) can impact state policy.

“People can, and do, change the course of government every day,” he writes.